It’s a nice public space with a great view — city wants you to be able to use it

One of downtown’s most beguiling — and troublesome — semi-public spaces has caught the eye of city planners. They don’t like what they see.

The destination in question is the roof of the 11th floor at One Kearny St., an aerie with jaw-dropping views that is required to be open to the public on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

But this week the city’s Planning Department notified owner One Kearny LLC that the privately owned public space has a problem: It often is off-limits to the public. Instead, would-be visitors are told the terrace is closed for private events — a clear violation of the rules.

The city also faulted the ground-floor signage, which consists of a small notice etched in glass at knee level by the lobby door on Geary Street. The original building approvals called for more conspicuous signage, and in several locations.

According to violation letters sent out Monday, One Kearny LLC needs to ensure full public weekday access and install new signs that meet standards spelled out under rules adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2012. The owner has 15 days to respond. On Tuesday, a representative said “we have a task force” looking at the issues raised by planners.

The department is in the process of surveying access and signage issues at the two dozen or so semi-public downtown spaces created since the 1980s. So how did One Kearny rise to the top of the problematic list?

“Some members of our staff happened to be in the area and wanted to go up for lunch,” said Kimberly Durandet, a code enforcement planner. She added that another half-dozen spaces are being investigated for possible violations.